Members of a key conservative caucus on Capitol Hill are planning to visit former President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, in a few weeks, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) told Breitbart News on Wednesday.
Banks, who serves as chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which is the largest congressional caucus, said the group visited Trump at his New Jersey residence last year and that it has another visit now slated for early August.
“RSC has visited with him many times before. We have a very close relationship with him, and the Republican Study Committee believes he’s the most effective president in a lifetime or more,” Banks said.
The Indiana Republican gave his remarks in an interview just a couple hours after he and dozens of members of the RSC met with former Vice President Mike Pence, a fellow Hoosier and former RSC chair.
Pence, who has been active in campaigning for candidates and attending speaking engagements since departing office, has been floated as a possible 2024 presidential contender who could potentially face Trump, his former boss, in a primary race.
The RSC, which Banks described as the “heart and soul of the Republican Conference,” has been a meeting grounds for several possible 2024 candidates, including Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, and, most recently, Pence.
Pence’s meeting on Wednesday focused on his 28-page “leading America with freedom” agenda, though a Pence adviser told Breitbart News the former vice president is zeroed in on the 2022 midterms rather than 2024. Not delivering in the 2022 midterm elections could “dampen” Republican prospects in 2024, the adviser noted.
Banks said Pence praised the Trump administration’s agenda during the RSC meeting Friday and also said the RSC is planning to discuss ways to forward that agenda with Trump himself.
Banks said, “We fully endorse the Trump agenda, and we’ll be having a conversation with him soon about ways that we can work together to advance it.”
Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com. Follow her on Twitter at @asholiver.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.